1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fuel shutoff valves and more specifically relates to a safety device that would be installed within the fuel lines of motor vehicles including cars and trucks, with the device remotely activated by police and other law enforcement personnel to block the flow of fuel to the vehicle engine, thus disabling the vehicle to provide law enforcement officials a practical way in which to safely disable a motor vehicle in the event of a police chase, thus protecting both parties, as well as other motorists, innocent bystanders and property from the dangers that can easily occur as a result of high speed chases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Every day, police officers and other law enforcement personnel put their lives on the line enforcing laws geared to protect the property, safety and well being of innocent civilians. When pursuing dangerous criminals, law enforcement officers often find themselves in high speed vehicle chases which occur when suspects attempt to flee a crime scene or other police inquiry. In fact, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the vast majority of police pursuits occur when a criminal attempts to flee a routine traffic stop. When a high speed chase occurs, normal traffic laws are discarded by the criminal, who typically flies through red lights and stop signs, cuts off traffic and places other motorists and pedestrians at serious risk for harm. During a high speed chase, other police officers will often aid in the pursuit and attempt to regulate traffic: putting up road blocks to stop the flow of traffic and taking other measures in order to clear the road and protect civilians from the dangers associated with these endeavors.
Unfortunately, these measures are often not enough and crashes and other accidents that result in property loss and death as a result of high speed police chases occur ever day. According to the FBI, a person dies every day in the United States as a result of a police pursuit and on average a law enforcement officer is killed every 11 weeks while in pursuit. Most surprisingly, innocent civilians constitute a staggering 42 percent of persons killed or injured during police pursuits, with these persons often the victim of resulting collisions, flying debris and other dangers inherent with vehicle chases.
Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in fuel shutoff valves art. Among these are found in: U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,799 to Ryszard F. Szwed; U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,837 to Brendan G. Gosker; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,484 to Arlon G. Sangster et al. This prior art is representative of conditionally operated fuel shutoff valves.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. Thus, a need exists for a reliable Shut Off Gasoline Line a safety device that would be installed within the fuel lines of motor vehicles including cars and trucks, with the device remotely activated by police and other law enforcement personnel to block the flow of fuel to the vehicle engine, thus disabling the vehicle to provide law enforcement officials a practical way in which to safely disable a motor vehicle in the event of a police chase, thus protecting both parties, as well as other motorists, innocent bystanders and property from the dangers that can easily occur as a result of high speed chases and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.